Hermione's Story
by Manzanita12
Summary: The story of the Boy Who Lived told through the eyes of muggle-born Hermione Jean Granger, starts before her first year at Hogwarts.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Unusual Visitor

The Grangers were a very normal family; Mr. and Mrs. Granger were dentists at the local clinic, and had been working there for many years. They had met in college and married soon after they had been certified. Years later, on September 19, 1979, Mrs. Granger gave birth to their daughter, Hermione Jean Granger. The Grangers had lived in the same house in London for as long as Hermione could remember. They had no pets, although Hermione had secretly always wanted a cat or dog to have and play with, but her parents believed that she was busy enough already and did not want to have to care for an animal. There was some merit for this assumption; Hermione was very involved in all of her school subjects and participated in a variety of after-school activities, although she did not particularly enjoy sports of any kind. She was very bright and intelligent, and her parent were very excited to see what secondary school she would attend, and eventually what universities she would apply to and the profession that she would undertake. That is, until a very unusual visitor visited in July of 1990 when Hermione was eleven years old.

Hermione lay on her bed reading her favourite book, _Little Women_, when she heard a knock on the door. She heard her mother and father talking to the visitor for a few minutes before the visitor was ushered inside. Being very curious, she put down her book and went to the doorway to listen to the conversation, but it turned out that was not necessary. Mrs. Granger had come to tell Hermione that a woman named Minerva McGonagall had come to talk to the three of them about a school that Hermione had been invited to attend. She went with her mother to the living room and saw a tall, stern looking woman with dark hair but kind eyes behind her spectacles, sitting in a chair speaking with her father. This did not seem odd, except for the clothing that this woman was wearing. Specifically, she was wearing a dark green cloak in the middle of the summer. As they entered, McGonagall stood and held her hand out for Hermione to shake and introduced herself, saying, "Hello Hermione. I am pleased to finally meet you. You have been personally invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I am here to answer any questions that you and your parents may have."

Hermione blinked and wondered if she was dreaming. "I'm sorry; did you say a school of _witchcraft and wizardry_? Is this a joke?" McGonagall smiled kindly, as though she had received this sort of reaction before. "It is no joke, my dear. Hogwarts is the best school for young witches and wizards such as yourself."

"I don't think you understand, ma'am. I'm not a witch! There's no such thing as magic, right dad?" Mr. Granger just stared at Hermione, as though seeing her for the first time. He then said, "You should sit and listen to this woman, Hermione. A lot of what she is saying makes sense, given your….unusual background."

Hermione instantly reddened. She did seem to have a lot of unusual things happen to her, but she and her parents always just brushed them off as random occurrences that could happen to anyone, but Hermione did wonder if there had been something wrong with her. It usually happened when she was angry or scared. She had a cavity when she was nine, and her parents were so disappointed and she was very scared about the pain associated with getting it fixed, but whenever they had begun the procedure, the dentists could find no sign of anything wrong with any of her teeth, and said that there must have been something wrong with the scan. Although both of her parents had seen the same scan and had agreed with the diagnosis, they assumed that there may have been a problem with the equipment. At the end of her exams this past term, Hermione had been very worried about her science exam, and although she didn't tell anyone, she could have sworn that time had slowed down enough to let her finish without problems. Her parents had told her stories about when she was a toddler and somehow had always found a way to turn the tellie on to watch cartoons in the morning, even when her parents hid the remote in their own bedroom, but that had been passed off as there must be a small power button somewhere on the set that Hermione had found. Could all of these instances have been caused by magic?

Hermione sat down opposite of Mrs. McGonagall and looked at her a minute before responding. "Can you prove that magic exists? I just can't believe in something unless I have seen proof of it." McGonagall smiled again and pulled out a wand and uttered the word _lumos_. The tip of her wand began to glow brightly, but Hermione still doubted. "I'm sorry, but couldn't there just be a switch or button that turns that on? Is there anything else that you could show me?"

McGonagall had not expected that response. Many of the muggle-born (muggles are what magic folk call the non-magic folk) children were instantly fascinated by her wand, and the idea that a simple word could cause something else. So she did something a bit dramatic. She turned herself into a cat. Hermione shrieked, Mrs. Granger jumped, and Mr. Granger leapt away from the chair. Soon, McGonagall righted her form and asked "Does that help you at all, Ms. Granger?"

"How did you do that? Can all witches and wizards do that?"

"No, not all witches and wizards are Animagi. There are very few registered Animagi in the country. It is a very difficult form of transfiguration, but that is my specialty. I am the transfiguration professor at Hogwarts. Now, I have your invitation letter along with the required texts and materials. Would you like to see them?"

Hermione nodded, and Professor McGonagall handed her a thick, parchment envelope. On the front, it was addressed to:

Hermione Granger

The Upper Room

15 Granger Street

London, England

The envelope was sealed with a purple-seal wax, and it had the form of a coat of arms; the letter H surrounded by an eagle, a lion, a snake, and a badger. Hermione gently broke the seal and took out the first piece of parchment and read:

Hogwarts School

_of_ Witchcraft _and _Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, _

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

Dear Ms. Granger,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

_Deputy Headmistress_

Hermione had so many questions about this incredibly short letter. Who was Albus Dumbledore? Where was Hogwarts? What was a Mugwump? And how would she reply to a letter with an owl? She looked up at Professor McGonagall, who was smiling at her and her parents who were reading over her shoulder with equally confused faces.

"I'm sure you have many questions. Let me see if I can answer them. First, and most important, will you be joining us at Hogwarts?

Hermione looked at her parents, who simply looked back at her. To finally understand why certain things happened to her, to learn from people who could change into animals, to learn something completely new. She immediately knew her answer, but she was not sure how her parents would feel about it. However, their answer surprised her almost as much as seeing a human become a cat.

"You should go, Hermione. This is who you are, this is what you need. We will always be here for you, and we are so proud of you."

"That's right, sweetheart. I know this is a lot to take in, but your father and I agree. You should go and learn about what all is out there. And you will always have a home here, and you can always return to this - what are we called - muggles? You can always return to the muggle world if you decide this is not working out for you."

Hermione turned to Professor McGonagall. "I want to go. But I still have so many questions. Where do I find my school supplies, and how do I owl to let them know?

McGonagall smiled and said, "All in good time. Let me answer whatever else you may have questions about first. Then, I can take you and your parents to Diagon Alley and show you where to buy your school supplies and how to get to Hogwarts."

Hermione smiled and looked at her parents. This was no ordinary day, and this was certainly no ordinary visitor, but it seemed as though she was about to start an adventure of a lifetime.


	2. Chapter 2: Diagon Alley

Chapter 2: Diagon Alley

Hogwarts School

_of Witchcraft and_ Wizardry

Uniform

First-year students will require:

Three sets of plain work robes (black)

One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil' clothes should carry name tags

Course Books

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_

by Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot

_Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore

_Magical Draughts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_

by Newt Scamander

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Preservation_

by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment

1 Wand

1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set of glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set of brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

Hermione read over this list again as she, her mother, her father, and Professor McGonagall made their way to downtown London. She had no idea where they would have to go for all of this equipment; she was sure she had never seen a shop that had sold anything like what was necessary for this school. Suddenly, McGonagall stopped and turned to them.

"Here we are, the Leaky Cauldron. Witches and wizards from all over meet here."

Suddenly, where Hermione had only seen a brick wall, she now saw a small, wooden door that led into a pub. She looked at her parents, but they also looked bewildered. Had this place always been here? Before she had a chance to ask, Professor McGonagall ushered them inside. It was rather dark, and a bit musty, but looking around, Hermione knew that all of this was real. Cups were cleaning themselves, the broom was sweeping in the corner, and a man was reading a newspaper, but she was sure that the pictures moved as he turned the page.

"Hello, Professor. Can I get you anything this afternoon?"

"No thank you, Tom. I'm taking a new student and her parents to Diagon Alley to get her supplies for her first year. We'll be seeing you in a bit."

It was then that Tom noticed Hermione and her parents standing behind Professor McGonagall. "Well hello! I assume this must be a bit of a shock. Good luck getting your supplies." And with a grin, he led them to the back door and McGonagall walked them to a blank, brick wall. She pulled out her wand and hit one of the bricks three times. Suddenly, the whole wall began to peel back into an archway! Professor McGonagall began to briskly walk through, and Hermione and her parents quickly followed behind. Hermione looked behind her to see the wall sealing itself back to its original form.

"The first place we will need to go is Gringotts, the wizarding bank. There, we will be able to exchange your muggle money into wizarding money. We have three basic units of currency. The most valuable is the gold galleon; it's worth 17 silver sickles. A sickle is worth 29 bronze knuts. For every British pound, you will receive 3 silver sickles and 11 bronze knuts. Does all this make sense?"

Professor McGonagall stopped abruptly and turned to them. "I also must warn you. Gringotts is run by goblins. They are fair, but a bit mistrustful of wizards and witches. So just be sure to not touch anything that is not yours and do not stare at them too long"

"Understood, Professor. Should we enter with Hermione, or should we wait outside?"

"You and your wife are most welcome to come in with us, of course. Ah, here we are."

They had arrived outside an incredibly tall, snow-white building. A guard stood by the door. He was a good deal shorter than Hermione with a pointed beard and long fingers and toes. And he was most certainly not human. This must be what a goblin is, Hermione thought. Before the doors, a silver sign was engraved with the poem:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits in the sing of greed,_

_For those who take, but do not ear,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

As they entered the bank, Hermione was amazed at the multitude of goblins. There must have been over 100! And they were weighing out rubies as big as her hands, and stacks of gold that must have weighed at least as much as she did. Professor McGonagall led them to a goblin behind a desk towards the front of the bank.

"Hello. We have a new muggle-born student who needs to exchange money"

The goblin looked at Hermione and her parents suspiciously before holding out his hand.

"How much do you think we should exchange? Would £200 be enough?"

Hermione quickly thought about this. £200 would be 600 sickles and 2200 knuts, which would equal out to 2746 sickles and 54 knuts. Reduced further, this would be 161 galleons, 10 sickles, and 25 knuts. "I think that should be plenty, dad. If nothing else, it will give me some extra to buy more school supplies throughout the school term."

McGonagall smiled, and agreed. They quickly exchanged the money and got a bag of all the coins. They then headed back into Diagon Alley to begin shopping. Their first stop was the one Hermione was the most excited about - a wand. Professor McGonagall led them to the shop, Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. They walked inside and Professor McGonagall led her parents to seats near the door. "No offense, dear, but this tends to take awhile. We will wait here and I can talk to your parents more about the wizarding world while Mr. Ollivander helps you find your wand."

"A fine idea, Professor. A fine idea, indeed." Hermione jumped at the soft voice directly behind her. She whirled around to see a rather old man with pale eyes standing before them.

"Why, I was never sure if I would see a part of your family again. Hello, Ms. Granger. I assume you are here for your first wand?"

"How do you…Have I met you before? Do you know any of my family? Are any of my other family members witches or wizards?" Hermione asked.

"Not in many, many generations, my dear. Now, let's get some measurements before I begin pulling wands." And there were so many measurements! Hermione was not sure the point of some of them, such as the space between her nostrils, but she did not complain. Soon enough, Mr. Ollivander had brought a stack of wands for her to try.

"Now, none of these wands are the same. There are three different magical cores; dragon heartstring, phoenix tail feathers, and unicorn hairs. Now, let's see which will do you well…hmm…" He handed Hermione the first wand, but before she could even try it out, he immediately snatched it away, shaking his head. "No, no, that will never do. Disastrous effects, that one." He picked a different wand and held it out to her, but the same happened. And again. And again. Hermione was frightened that she would never find a wand, but Mr. Ollivander seemed to be enjoying the hunt.

He finally handed her another wand, but suddenly this felt different. Her hand began to warm around it and it instantly felt _right_. "Right, now. Give this one a little flick" Mr. Ollivander said with a smile. Hermione raised the wand and as she swished it, a burst of sparks showered out. "Ah yes. 10 3/4 inches vine wood. Dragon heartstring center. A very good wand, if I may say so myself." Hermione paid the 10 galleons for the wand and headed back into the streets with her parents and Professor McGonagall to continue their shopping.

The next stop was Madame Malkin's for Hermione's uniform. As she entered the building, she saw a small, round-faced boy already there. "Hello, dear. Be right with you - Hold still, Neville!" she exclaimed as the young boy started to fidget. "You can go ahead and stand in front of that mirror and my assistant will be right with you." As Hermione got in place, she looked at the boy in the shop with her. He looked to be young, he couldn't be that much older than herself. He looked back at her, "What's your name? Do you know what House you will be in?"

"My name is Hermione Granger. And House? What do you mean?"

"Oh! You must be a muggle-born. At Hogwarts, the students are put into one of four houses - Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin." He said this last name with a shudder in his voice. "We'll get sorted on our first day at school. I don't know where I'll be, but probably Hufflepuff. I know I won't be in Slytherin."

"Why is that? How do you determine what House you will be in?"

"I'm not sure, honestly. I suppose we'll find out when we get there. I know all the Houses have different qualities, but no one has told us how they sort us."

Hermione thought about this. She had not thought about how the students would be organized at this school. She supposed it must be like having a home room in her primary school. She hoped she would be able to find a book about the differences between the Houses and convince her parents that she needed to do research about this school before she arrived so she would not be the only child who did not know what was going on because of her upbringing.

After leaving Madame Malkins, Professor McGonagall took the Grangers to the apothecary to buy potion supplies, a cauldron, crystal phials, and scales. They next went to a shop to buy Hermione's telescope, and Hermione convinced her parents to also buy her a star chart in order to start studying the sky before school started. The next shop was Hermione's favourite; the book store! They found all of her books for school, and Hermione also bought _Hogwarts: A History_ in order to learn more about the school and the Houses and _Quidditch Through the Ages_. Hermione's parents questioned her about this book; she had never been into sports before. In Hermione's eyes, though, if the wizarding world had only one sport, then she was going to understand it. A final book she bought was _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_. Her parents agreed that she should learn as much as possible about what had been occurring in the wizarding world recently in order to keep her safe and well-informed. She was so excited to learn about what had been going on in "her world" while she had been living in a different world.

Just as they were about to leave Diagon Alley, Professor McGonagall turned to Hermione's parents and said, "It may also be best if you bought an owl. That is our form of communication in the wizarding world; phones and other electronics won't work at Hogwarts." So they all went to the pet store and Hermione's parents let her pick the owl. She got a small, grey owl. As they were leaving Diagon Alley to go back home, Hermione could barely contain herself from the excitement. She had seen so much today, and she knew that she was barely scratching the surface. She could not wait to start reading her books and studying the different things she would be learning this term.


	3. Chapter 3: Platform 9 and 34

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 3: Platform 9 and 3/4

Hermione spent the rest of her summer poring over her new text books, studying the different spells and potion ingredients, and learning all about Hogwarts and what had been occurring in the wizarding world in recent history. She learned of evil wizards, Grindewald and Voldemort, and the wizards who had given their lives to stop their path of destruction. She learned of Albus Dumbledore, the only man known to cause fear to either of these men, and she felt much safer when she realized this same man was the Headmaster of her school. She also learned of the mysterious night that Voldemort vanished, and a young child, a baby really, was the one who stopped him. She wondered about this boy, and what he must be doing now. What she most enjoyed, though, was practicing her magic.

_CRASH!_ Hermione's mother came rushing into the kitchen to see what had happened. "Hermione Jean Granger! Explain yourself!" Hermione had just thrown a crystal bowl onto the floor and shattered it. She looked at her mum and said, "Don't worry! I've been practicing!" Mrs. Granger looked both doubtful but interested. Her daughter picked up her wand and looked at the shattered remains of the bowl and said, with clarity, "_Reparo_!" The pieces immediately started coming back together and very soon no one could even see a crack on the bowl. "That's amazing sweetheart! How long have you been practicing that one?"

"A few days now, mum. I started by just breaking pencils and have been working my way up to more difficult objects. The really important part of the spell is to make sure you are picturing what you want the object to look like; you need to make sure you're not forgetting any part of it, or it won't repair properly. Isn't all of this so useful!"

Mrs. Granger looked at her daughter proudly and smiled. "It is, dear. What else have you been reading about in your new books? Have you practiced any other spells?" Before Hermione was able to answer, there was a knock at the door. Hermione and her mother went to answer the door and were surprised to see Professor McGonagall there.

"Hello Professor! I'm so excited for school to start; I've been reading all the books and practicing ever since we returned from Diagon Alley! What are you doing here?"

Professor McGonagall looked a bit bemused from the outburst from the child and sat down. "I'm just here to explain to you and your parents how to get to Hogwarts on the first of September. Here is your train ticket; you will be departing from Platform 9 & 3/4 at precisely 11:00 am that morning-"

"But Professor! We've been to King's Crossing before. There is no Platform 9 & 3/4!"

"Indeed, for muggles there is no such thing. For you, and everyone else attending Hogwarts, there is. What you will need to do is walk through the pillar, right between 9 and 10. Mrs. Granger, you and your husband will be able to do this as well, although in general muggles are not able to do this. What you must remember is to _believe_ that you will be able to go through. Otherwise, you will just crash. Can you remember all of this?"

Hermione was bewildered. Walk through a pillar and go somewhere else? It didn't make sense, but neither did anything else so far. Although, perhaps it made more sense than she was giving credit for. "Yes ma'am. We'll be there." Professor McGonagall smiled and left quickly afterwards.

The next month passed very quickly for Hermione; she continued to study all her books. In fact, she practically memorized them from how often she read through them. On July 31, she packed her trunk full of her books, robes, school supplies, and a few things to remember home. She packed a picture of her parents and herself, her favourite books, and her muggle clothing to wear when she was not in classes. The next morning, she was the first to wake before the sun even rose. She and her parents ate breakfast and she could hardly wait to get to Kings Cross. They arrived there early, just at 10:00 and headed to the platform. However, when they got to platforms 9 and 10, Hermione froze. This was absurd; how was she supposed to just walk through the barrier? She looked to her parents, and they gave her an encouraging smile and nodded towards the barrier. Hermione took a deep breath and started walking to the barrier. She closed her eyes and began walking a bit quicker; she began to wonder when she would hit the barrier until she heard a train whistle. She opened her eyes and saw the most marvelous, scarlet train with the sign "Hogwarts Express" over it. She looked behind and saw her parents come through the barrier as well and began to smile uncontrollably.

She and her parents found a compartment near the front of the train and stored her trunk in the compartment. "Here you are, Hermione. This is the money left over from your school supplies, and a little extra. Let us know if you need anything else, ok?"

"I will, daddy. Thank you so much. I'll write you soon, I promise." Suddenly, the whistle blew which signaled that the train was readying to depart. "I'll miss you guys so much, but I promise to make you proud. I love you!"

"We love you too, sweetheart. Write often and work hard, and don't forget to try and have a little bit of fun too. We'll see you at the Christmas holiday." They hugged and her parents went to the platform and watched the train as it began to pull away. Hermione leaned out the window and continued to wave to her parents until they were out of sight. She then changed into her school robes so she would be ready whenever they arrived at the school. She leaned back in her seat and began to think about the journey she was undertaking when the compartment door slid open.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there. There just isn't anywhere else to sit and I was just looking for somewhere-"

"It's fine! You can sit with me. Didn't we meet in Madame Malkin's shop? What was your name again?"

"My name is Neville. Neville Longbottom. And this is Trevor; he's my pet toad. I've had him my whole life. What's your name?"

"Nice to meet you, Neville. My name is Hermione, Hermione Granger. Are your parents witches and wizards as well? Mine are muggles and learning about this world is just so fascinating!" Hermione was so excited to be talking about the wizarding world with another magical person that she didn't even notice Neville flinch at her sudden excitement.

"They were magical yes, but they're, well, you know…"

"Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry. I didn't know-"

"No, no, it's okay. It was a long time ago, I didn't even really know them. I live with my Gran now, my dad's mum. So I've been around magic my whole life. Although my family thought that I may have been a Squib - a non-magical person born into a magical family. I didn't start showing signs of magic until my Uncle Algie accidently dropped me out of a window and I bounced all the way down the hill. Didn't you show signs of magic when you were young?"

Neville and Hermione began to discuss their childhoods and different upbringings and life in the muggle world compared to life in the wizarding world. When the trolley came by, Neville showed Hermione which snacks were the best to get, and she bought Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and Chocolate Frogs. She opened her Chocolate Frog and quickly caught it like Neville had instructed her and looked at the card in her pack. "Hmm, Agrippa. Born in 1486 and died in 1535. He wrote about magic and wizards and some muggle officials put him in prison for it. Do you collect the cards, Neville? Would you like this one?" But Neville was no longer listening to her. "Trevor! Do you see him anywhere? Oh no, I think he got out when we went to the trolley! I have to go find him!"

Neville sprinted through the compartment door to look for his toad. Hermione sighed and began cleaning up the compartment as she waited for him to return. After a few minutes, she decided to go and help him look as well. She saw him and went to the first compartment that she saw. Two boys were sitting in there; one was a bit scrawny with dark hair and the other was gangly with bright red hair and a smudge of dirt on his face. "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one."

"We've already told him we haven't seen it." It was the red-head who answered her, and that was when she noticed that he had his wand out. "Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it then!" She was so excited to see someone else do magic that she plopped down in the compartment to watch. She wondered what he was about to do, and she noticed a rat in his seat. The boy looked a bit bewildered - "Er, all right."

_"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,_

_Turn this stupid fat rat yellow!"_

She looked at the rat as it continued to sleep and stayed the same grey colour it had been before. She was so disappointed - she had so wanted to see some new magic. "Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" She hadn't meant to start a conversation with them, but had gotten carried away talking about magic. The red-head answered first, albeit it seemed a bit reluctantly.

"I'm Ron Weasley."

Hermione turned to the small, dark-haired boy sitting across from Ron. "I'm Harry Potter."

Harry Potter! This was the boy she had read about! This was the boy who had single-handedly taken down the darkest wizard of their age. "Are you really? I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in _Modern Magical History_ and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_." She hadn't meant to say all of that, but this boy was the reason she was able to go to Hogwarts and learn about magic and she was just so excited and thankful to be here. He seemed a bit dazed and replied, "Am I?"

And of course, she couldn't stop herself from gushing about him some more, "Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me." Suddenly, a new thought struck her. She had talked to a few people and researched the Houses of Hogwarts. She wondered what these two would think about them, "Do either of you know what House you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad… Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad."

Then she realized that the two boys were still in muggle clothing. She didn't want them to get caught by surprise and not be ready to get off the train. "You two had better change, you now, I expect we'll be there soon." She left with Neville, reassuring him that they still had time to find Trevor. "Let's split up; we can cover more ground that way. Then we can meet back up at the compartment afterwards. Is that alright with you?" Neville agreed and Hermione began to wander towards the other end of the train to ask about the toad. She expected for everyone to be in their compartments, but it was utter chaos! It seemed as though two red-headed twins - they had to be twins, she couldn't tell one from the other - were the ringleaders of the havoc. People were chasing each other, shooting spells, and all sorts of nonsense. And worse still, none of them had seen the toad.

She began the walk back to her compartment when she heard yelling and saw three boys, one small and blonde and two large and mean-looking, running from a compartment. As she got closer, she realized it was the compartment where that boy had tried to turn his pet rat yellow. She went up to the door to check on them and make sure they were alright - after all, it was three against two. "What has been going on here?" There were wrappers all over the floor, and Ron - that was the red-head's name - was picking up his rat by the tail. Had they tried another spell and it backfired?

"I think he's knocked out - No, I don't believe it. He's gone back to sleep." Now Hermione was very confused. Had they thrown the rat at the boys? The two began to talk back and forth about the blond boy who had been there; apparently his family and Ron's family did not get along and it had something to do with Dark Magic. Hermione began to feel a bit sick hearing about all of this. She had hoped with Voldemort gone, everything else would have been fine in the magical world. Suddenly, Ron turned to her, "Can we help you with something?"

She was caught a bit off guard and realized she was still standing in their compartment. She then noticed that they still hadn't changed and decided to get them to get a move on. "You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up front to ask the conductor" she hoped they didn't notice the light tinge on her cheeks from lying, "and he says we're nearly there." It was then that she remembered her real reason for coming to their compartment. "You haven't been fighting have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"

"Scabbers has been fighting, not us. Would you mind leaving while we change?" Ron was scowling at her.

"All right - I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors." She was frustrated with the people outside, but knew she couldn't take it out on them. They hadn't done anything, apparently. She then saw that he still had that dirt on his face and didn't want him to embarrass himself when they arrived at school. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way. Did you know?"

And with that, she headed back to meet Neville at their compartment. As she walked there she heard the conductor announce, "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately." Hermione quickly made it back to the compartment and made sure everything was packed and ready to go. She was becoming very nervous as the train slowed, but she was so excited to catch her first glance of Hogwarts. As the train pulled to a stop, she and Neville got up to exit the train together.


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome to Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter 4: Welcome to Hogwarts

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Hermione searched for the booming voice at the platform. She shivered and pulled her cloak tighter around herself. She saw a lamp bobbing in the distance and then saw a man - if you could call him a man - coming in the distance. He was twice as tall as her father and had to be three times as big around as well with hair and a bushy beard that looked like a mane around his face. "C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Hermione looked bewilderedly at Neville and then quickly took off behind the giant of a man. She wondered who this person was and why he had been sent to get them. He did not seem like a dangerous man, but you could never be too careful.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," the man called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here." Hermione heard an audible gasp from the rest of the first years as the saw the castle. Truly, there would never be a sight like this again. In front of them was a large, black lake. Across from them, a large mountain had a castle perched upon it; it had so many turrets and towers and windows that sparkled like the stars in the sky.

"No more'n four to a boat!" called the man. Hermione looked around and noticed the small boats in the water by the shore. She and Neville lined up and climbed in behind Harry and Ron from the train. She hoped that they would be sensible and not try to rock the boat while they were going across the lake. She began to wonder where the paddles for the boats were when she heard the man yell out again.

"Everyone in? Right then - FORWARD!" Suddenly, all the boats began to move at once. She watched with bated breath as they got closer and closer to the castle.

"Heads down!" called the man again. As she ducked, she realized they were entering a secret passage underneath the castle through a curtain of ivy. They continued on for a long time until they finally docked at an underground harbor. They stepped out onto the rocks and pebbles of the surf. "Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" Hermione looked over as the man handed Neville his lost pet. "Trevor!" Hermione smiled as Neville accepted his pet with a look of pure joy. They followed the man through a passageway and into a grassy area in the shade of the castle. They all went up a flight of stairs and crowded behind each other in front of a large oak door. The man raised his gigantic fist and knocked three times on the door.

Hermione watched as the door quickly swung open. She made out the form of a tall witch in emerald-green robes - Professor McGonagall! Hermione was so excited to see someone she recognized, although Professor McGonagall looked much sterner than she had at her house over the summer.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said the giant of a man.

"Thank you, Hagrid" so that was his name! Hermione made a point to remember that from now on, although she was sure she couldn't forget him. "I will take them from here." Professor McGonagall opened the door the rest of the way and ushered them all into the Great Hall. It was massive! Hermione was sure that it would be possible to fit her entire house in here and still have extra room. As she looked around, she noticed that there didn't seem to be any _normal_ lights; instead, the stone walls were lined with torches. To her left was a huge marble staircase that looked as though it led to the rest of the castle floors. As they walked behind Professor McGonagall, Hermione was able to hear the voices of all the other students through the door, but instead of being lead in, Professor McGonagall ushered them into a small, empty room to the side of the hall. They stood close to each other, being rather quiet and looking at one another nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room."

"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the house Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours."

Professor McGonagall then began to peer around at the small crowd. Her eyes seemed to linger on Neville, and Hermione noticed that his cloak had not been fastened correctly, and also on Ron. He still had that dirt on his face.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you; please wait quietly." And with that, Professor McGonagall exited the room. Hermione helped Neville fix his cloak and thought about mentioning to the other boy about the dirt on his nose but decided against it. She quickly smoothed her bushy brown hair down and straightened her own robes and cloak. The rest of the group began to talk about the Sorting Ceremony.

"How do you think they sort us?"

"I heard it hurts a lot"

"I don't know any spells yet! What can they possibly expect us to be able to do yet?" Hearing this, Hermione began to go over the spells in her head that she had managed to learn over the summer. She hoped that they would be enough.

"I heard - HEY!" Hermione opened her eyes and gasped. Pearly-white and almost transparent…ghosts? They must be ghosts. They were coming through the wall opposite of the Great Hall and talking amongst themselves. Two of them seemed to be arguing amongst themselves. A larger man was saying, "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?"

This ghost looked as though he had stepped out of the Renaissance; he was wearing tights and had a big ruff around his neck. He and the other ghosts stopped and watched them; none of the first years were brave enough to answer him

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, who began to smile at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" Hermione and a few of the other students quietly nodded at the rotund ghost. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old House, you know."

"Move along now," said a familiar, stern voice. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned, and the ghosts slowly made their way through the opposite wall. "Now, form a line, and follow me."

Hermione quickly got in line behind Neville. They walked hurriedly back across the Hall and through double doors into the Great Hall. Even this was beyond Hermione's wildest imagination! Thousands upon thousands of candles lit the Great Hall, and they were floating in mid-air. Above them, instead of a ceiling, was a velvety-black sky dotted with sparkling stars. She had read about this in her books! It was more splendid than even the pictures. "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in _Hogwarts: A History_." Hermione whispered to no one in particular. There were four long tables where all the students were sitting, and at the top of the hall was one more, long table where the teachers sat. When they reached the front of the Hall, Professor McGonagall quietly placed a stool in front of the students. On top of that, she placed a wizard's hat - a patched, dirty, and very old wizard's hat. Baffled, Hermione watched the hat with the rest of the school to see what would happen. Suddenly, the hat ripped itself open - almost like a mouth. In fact, it was exactly like a mouth because the hat began to sing:

_"Oh you may not think I'm pretty;_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself alive if you can find,_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can top them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't' get in a flap!_

_You're safe in hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The students and teachers burst into applause as the hat finished singing. After it had bowed to each of the four tables, it became still again. So all they had to do was try on a hat. This was mildly disappointing. Although Hermione did not want to fail at her very first task, she had hoped for something a bit more difficult so that she could prove herself to her fellow witches and wizards. She began to ponder the song and lyrics and wondered which House seemed right for her. She was beginning to think that each House had its good qualities, although she still felt as though she would not enjoy being placed in Slytherin.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long scroll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Abbott, Hannah?" A small, pink-faced girl with long pigtails slowly walked up to the stool and sat down. The hat was placed on her head and fell over her eyes. Hermione watched, and a moment later the hat yelled, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Hermione listened as Professor McGonagall continued to read the names of her fellow classmates. Finally, she heard "Granger, Hermione!", and she practically ran up the stairs to the stool. She was so excited when the hat fell over her eyes, but she did not quite know what to expect.

"Hmm…What have we here?" Hermione jumped at the whispering voice that seemed to surround her. She didn't realize that the Sorting Hat would talk to her! She was glad that no one else would be able to hear what they were talking about. "Clearly you are intelligent, very quick-witted, a perfect Ravenclaw…but there is more to you, isn't there? Loyalty, you wouldn't abandon your friends. And even a touch of bravery… but is Gryffindor right for you?" She wondered if the Hat could hear her think, and it answered very quickly - "Yes, dear. I can hear you. It could really go either way, you would do so well in Ravenclaw, and your intelligence is greater than many Gryffindors, but perhaps they could use your bravery more than Ravenclaw. I have made my decision, your house should be GRYFFINDOR!" Hermione realized that the Hat had shouted out the last word. Professor McGonagall lifted the hat off her head and she hurried to the Gryffindor table amidst the applause. She shook hands with an older boy named Percy who turned out to be the Prefect of her House.

Hermione settled to watch the rest of the Sorting of the rest of her House. Her friend, Neville, was also sorted into Gryffindor and sat next to her. They began to talk quietly about what the Hat had said to them while watching the rest of the first years get sorted. By the end of the Sorting, Gryffindor had gained Hermione, Lavender, Parvati, Fay, and Kellah as the girls and Harry, Rob, Seamus, Dean, and Neville as the boys. After Professor McGonagall had taken the Sorting Hat away, Professor Dumbledore stood and everyone became silent.

"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" As Dumbledore sat back down, everyone began to clap and cheer. Hermione joined in, but was confused by the choice of welcoming words. Perhaps this was wizard slang; she decided to ask Percy if that had been a special message. However, when she turned her head to ask him, she realized that the table was now covered in food - roast beef, chicken, potatoes, lamb, fries, puddings, an abundance of vegetables, and so much more. How had this gotten here? Hermione didn't bother to ponder that question long before she began to fill up her plate with food. The ghost from earlier, the one with the ruff and tights, sat forlornly across from her beside Ron.

"That does look good," he said sadly.

"Can't you-" Harry replied, but was cut off by the ghost before he was able to finish. Rather rude, Hermione thought.

"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years. I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it." He looked around at the new Gryffindor students and said, "Oh! I don't believe I have introduced myself. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, at your service. I am the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

Ron quickly piped up, "I know who you are! My brothers have told me all about you. You're Nearly Headless Nick!" Hermione wondered how someone could be _nearly_ headless, and this ghost certainly was not headless; she could see his head sitting upon his shoulders! Sir Nicholas looked miffed. "I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-", but he was cut off when another boy, Seamus, asked exactly what Hermione had been thinking.

"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"

Sir Nicholas looked extremely frustrated at where the conversation had gone. "Like this." And with that, he took hold of his left ear and pulled. His head fell off his neck almost completely and onto his shoulder. Hermione watched with fascination and disgust; she assumed that someone had tried to behead him, but hadn't been able to cut all the way through before he died. As Sir Nicholas put his head back on correctly, he began to congratulate them again on being sorted into Gryffindor and discussing the other House Ghosts. Hermione glanced around the Great Hall and saw the Fat Friar again, who was a jolly ghost of Hufflepuff. There was a ghost with silvery blood stains all over his robes with gaunt eyes; this was the Bloody Baron, the Slytherin House Ghost. Hermione shuddered at his vacant expression and looked toward Ravenclaw table. There, the ghost was a young woman, dressed in medieval clothing and speaking softly to the students at her table.

After they were stuffed with food, the plates were magically cleaned away, but not for long. Almost instantly, they refilled with all different forms of desserts - ice cream, pies, treacle tarts, éclairs and doughnuts, fruit, puddings, and so much more. Hermione groaned, but still took a few pieces of dessert. She listened to a few talk about their upbringings, and then turned to Percy to talk about coursework and lessons.

"I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration" - how could she not be, with seeing her Professor change into a cat on her couch? - "you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult."

Percy replied, "You'll be starting out small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing."

"When you transform something, does it work just as well as an actual item would work? Like, when I transform a match into a needle, will it be just as sharp as a regular needle?"

"It all depends on how well you do the spell and how much you concentrate on what the end product should be. Professor McGonagall is a really good teacher; she'll explain everything, and as long as you work hard, you should be able to do it, no problem. I was able to transform a match into a needle on the first day of lessons!"

Percy continued to fill her in on the different teachers - "Snape is very stern and very difficult. He favours his House members as well, so make sure you are prepared for class, and don't give him any reason to take points, because he will" - "Professor Sprout is a bit too easy in my opinion, but she does understand Herbology. She's Head of the Hufflepuff House, but she doesn't favour them over anyone else." - "Professor Quirrell teaches Defense of the Dark Arts, but you probably won't be doing much hands-on work. He's been a bit shakey ever since running into a vampire. Has a horrible stutter now to, so read before you go in to class so you know how to say the spells correctly"

After talking more about the different classes and teachers, Dumbledore stood and quieted everyone down. Hermione was glad; she was getting quite sleepy. "Ahem - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start of term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well. I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death. And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Professor Dumbledore gave a quick flick of his wand and a golden strand came out and began to form words. "Everyone, pick their favourite tune, and off we go!"

Pick your favourite tune? How was this supposed to work? But it did, for all the students began to sing at various pitches, tunes, and quickness. Hermione noted that the teachers seemed to sing the quickest, while twins from the train sang as though it was a funeral march.

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot."_

Once they all had finished, Dumbledore remained standing and said, "Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" Percy called to the table for the first years to follow him. He led them out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase. Hermione kept glancing all around her - the people in the portraits waved to her and said hello, but she was not sure if she should reply. Could the people in the portraits hear her? Or was it more like a video playing? As Percy lead them through hanging tapestries and hidden doorways, Hermione tried to make a mental map of where she was going so she would not get lost the next day. Percy suddenly stopped, and Hermione glanced forward and noticed sticks floating in midair ahead of them.

"Peeves, a poltergeist," Percy whispered to them. He cleared his throat and said with a commanding voice, "Peeves - show yourself!" Instead, a noise that sounded like a deflating balloon answered. "Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" was Percy's reply. With a pop, a small man with mischievous eyes appeared before them, clutching the sticks.

"Ohhh - Firsties! What fun!" And Peeves dived at them. Hermione ducked with the rest of the group.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron will hear about this, I mean it!" Percy commanded. Hermione was glad that Percy could take control of a situation. Peeves responded by sticking his tongue out, but flew away after dropping his sticks, which unfortunately landed on Neville's head. "You'll want to watch out for Peeves," Percy told them, "The Bloody Baron is the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us Prefects. Ah, here we are."

Here was a portrait of a very, very large woman in pink silks. She looked at Percy and said only one word - "Password?"

Percy answered very clearly, "Caput Draconis." The woman nodded at them and swung the portrait open. This revealed a round hole in the wall - they all began to scramble through it, and Hermione helped Neville get over the partition. Percy explained that the girls' dormitories were to the left and the boys' dormitories to the right. She went up the spiral staircase after saying goodnight to Neville. In the room were large four-poster beds for each of them with a thick, red velvet curtain. All their trunks had been brought up already. Hermione immediately went to her trunk to get changed and ready for bed. She listened to Lavender and Parvati talk about the boys who had been sorted into their House and silently groaned. She had hoped to not have to deal with gossipy girls in Hogwarts. Fay and Kellah talked quietly amongst themselves as well. Hermione finished preparing for bed and lay down. Within minutes, she was fast asleep.


	5. Chapter 5: First Week of Classes

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter 5: First Week of Classes

Hermione was the first in her dorm to wake up the following morning. She showered and tried to control her ever-bushy hair. She wondered if there were beauty spells that could help her out in that aspect, but then quickly put that thought away in favour of learning real magic. Classes were starting today! She put on her uniform and robes - who had embroidered the Gryffindor emblem on her robes? This whole castle must be magical for all of the first-years' robes to already have their emblem on them. She glanced at her watch as she finished getting ready - 8:00 a.m. As her stomach began to growl, she hoped that the Great Hall would already have breakfast set out. She made her bed and put her dirty clothes in the hamper. She hoped the other girls would be as neat as she was; she did not want to live in a dirty home. She quietly left the dorm and headed down to the Great Hall.

"So down the hall…down these stairs…right at the corridor…through the fake wall…" Hermione was muttering to herself as she made her way to breakfast. She had a feeling of accomplishment when she made her way down the marble staircase into the Great Hall. There were very few students sitting at the tables this early in the morning. She settled towards the middle of the Gryffindor table and began to fill her plate with toast, eggs, and sausage as her goblet filled with juice. She sat in thoughtful silence until Professor McGonagall came up to her.

"Ah, good morning Ms. Granger. Here is your class schedule for the year. Let me know if you have any questions." Hermione thanked her as she took the parchment from her professor.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

9:00 - 10:30

Charms G/R

Charms G/R

Potions G/S

10:45 - 11:30

Herbology G/H

DADA G/S

History of Magic G/H

Potions G/S

11:30 - 1:00

Herbology G/H

DADA G/S

History of Magic G/H

2:00 - 2:45

Transfiguration G/R

Astronomy G/H

Transfiguration G/R

Herbology G/H

*Astronomy will meet at midnight on Wednesdays to observe the night skies weekly (weather permitting)

"How's your schedule look, Hermione?" Hermione glanced up at the voice. Percy was sitting down across from her and smiling.

"It looks wonderful! I start with Herbology this morning. Oh, I hope I'm ready; I've practically memorized all my text books, but I feel like everyone who was born into the wizarding world will have such an advantage on me."

"Nonsense! Why, my brother Ron hasn't even opened a text book, and he's been around magic since day one. You'll be fine."

Hermione and Percy continued to converse through breakfast. Afterwards, Hermione excused herself so she could freshen up before class started and also grab her book and supplies. When she had arrived back at the Gryffindor common room, the rest of her House mates were finally getting up and getting ready for the day. She grabbed her Herbology book and put her gloves, quills, and parchment in her bag. She then settled down in one of the sitting chairs close to the fire to read before heading down to the greenhouses behind the castle.

"Now, Herbology is the study of the magical plants and fungi. In this class, you will learn to care for and utilize plants and learn about their magical properties and what you can use them for. Many of these specimens can be used in potion-making and in medicines, while others can be used on their own. This year will be a basic introduction into the different plants and fungi, but towards the end of the year, you will be learning about Devil's Snare. Now, can anyone tell me how someone can control Devil's Snare?" Professor Sprout said this all very quickly to the group of first-year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs gathered in the greenhouse.

Hermione's hand shot up - "Fire, or sunlight. You can also use the spell _Incendio_ to manage them."

Professor Sprout clapped her dirty hands and smiled. "Excellent! 10 points to Gryffindor for clearly reading ahead in the text. Today we will be learning about the most commonly found plants on the grounds of Hogwarts…" The group of first-years listened intently to their first lesson as Professor Sprout showed them different potted plants. Hermione quickly wrote notes over the different types of plants and fungi and also sketched ones that looked different from the pictures in her textbook.

After Herbology, Hermione walked back with the other girls in her dorm to the Gryffindor Tower. She listened as Lavendar and Parvati talked about the different types of plants before moving on to the Hufflepuffs who had joined them for that class period. Hermione tried to interject and talk with them, but she didn't know how to gossip and fell silent again. After putting away her Herbology materials, she packed the materials she would need for Transfiguration before going to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." The first years stared at Professor McGonagall, who nodded curtly at them. She then flicked her wand and her desk became a large hog; with another flick, it had changed back again. Hermione was perhaps even more excited to learn about this type of magic. However, Percy had been right; their first lesson involved changing plain matches into needles. Hermione watched as her classmates attempted the complicated magic - the red-headed boy, Ron was beginning to turn purple with concentration, but his match stayed a match. Harry seemed to be struggling as well, and Neville looked close to tears as he attempted to observe some sort of change in his match. Hermione looked at her own and remembered Percy's words of envisioning what the match would look like in the future and said the incantation. Her match began to lengthen and change colours. She concentrated harder, and soon, sitting in front of her was a sharp sewing needle. Professor McGonagall showed the class at the end of the period the difference she had been able to make in her match and smiled at her.

The rest of the week began to fly by; in Charms, tiny Professor Flitwick (who had to stand on a pile of books to see the class) began to teach them the concept behind the first charm they would learn - the light charm, _lumos_. Hermione was especially excited; this was a charm that she had already practiced at her house over the summer. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Quirrell began to tell them about the zombies he had fought and the vampires he had run into around the world. However, Hermione struggled to understand him. Not only did he have a horrible stutter, but his room stank of garlic! She heard rumours that this was to ward off any other vampires that may come near him. History of Magic was the only class that had a ghost as a teacher and Hermione found this class fascinating. Professor Binns could be a bit monotonous, but there were many fascinating witches and wizards of the past to learn about. Hermione stayed up until the wee hours of the night researching Emeric the Evil and Uric the Oddball after her first class.

Friday morning, Hermione rose early to write her parents a letter about her first week before going to the Great Hall for breakfast.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_School has been going really well! I've already learned so much, and it seems that I'm not as behind as I thought I would be. Many of the kids from wizarding families do not seem to have put much time into learning about magic before coming to school, so we are all on the same page so far. _

_I've already earned points for our House! If I keep studying and working hard, I know that I will be able to get more and help win the House Cup at the end of the year. It's a really big honour here to earn the Cup, and we all compete throughout the year to earn points for it._

_I've talked with the girls in my dorm a bit. They seem pretty nice, but we don't seem to have much in common. Hopefully as we all get used to being in school we can get to know each other more. The boys in my year seem rather immature; our Prefect, Percy, has helped me adjust to school pretty well, though. He's very nice and has helped me know how to prepare for different classes._

_I have my first Potions class today - I'm a bit nervous, but I've read over the chapter a few times this week and I think I'll do okay._

_Hope you are doing well._

_Love,_

_Hermione_

Hermione went to the Owlery and posted the letter and then went to the Great Hall for breakfast. Afterwards, she went straight to the dungeons to wait for her class to begin. Percy had told her that Professor Snape favoured his House and she did not want to give him any reason to take points from her. The classroom was rather chilly and Hermione was a bit disturbed by the pickled animals in jars. She wondered what these would be used for.

Professor Snape began by calling roll. When he reached Harry's name, he began to sneer. Hermione wondered if this was because of the supposed rivalry between the two Houses, but he hadn't seemed particularly perturbed at the rest of the Gryffindors. Perhaps Harry had already crossed paths with Professor Snape and it hadn't gone well.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." Professor Snape spoke barely above a whisper, but Hermione caught every word. She was so excited to prove herself to this teacher and show him what she had already taught herself over the summer.

"Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Hermione quickly raised her hand - this was easy! Draught of the Living Death, a very powerful sleeping potion. Harry, however, looked baffled. She tried to catch Professor Snape's attention, but he was staring directly at Harry. As Harry told Professor Snape that he didn't know, Snape suggested a different question.

"Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Hermione stretched her arm as far as it would go - a goat's stomach! It was a stone found in a goat's stomach that was a very powerful antidote against most poisons. She wondered how Harry couldn't remember this, it was in their book. Again, though, Harry didn't know and Professor Snape refused to look anywhere besides Harry's eyes.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" She couldn't help herself; Hermione stood and began to wave her hand. They were the exact same thing! In fact, it had another name - aconite. This time, though, Harry had an answer.

"I don't know. I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?" Hermione began to redden as a few people laughed at the comment, but she didn't sit down yet. Maybe Professor Snape would still call on her and she could answer his questions and show him how much she knew so far. Snape had a different idea though.

"Sit down!" He glared at Hermione as she quickly dropped to her seat and put her hand down. He then began to explain to the class the answers to the questions he had asked Harry. Hermione was pleased that she had all the answers correct, even if she hadn't been able to answer the out loud. She was less pleased when Professor Snape took a point from Gryffindor House because of what Harry had said to him after the last question, but she couldn't take time to worry about because they were paired off to concoct a potion to cure boils. Hermione was paired off with one the boys, Dean Thomas. They worked well enough together - Hermione did most of the work, but Dean helped a bit. He was also a muggle-born and had read some about their classes, but not as much as Hermione.

When they were close to finishing, Hermione began to smell something burning. She looked over just as clouds of green smoke began to pour out of Neville's and Seamus's cauldron. She jumped up on her chair and watched as the cauldron melted and the acidic potion began to seep across the floor. Neville was not as lucky; he had been covered in the potion whenever the cauldron melted and was now covered in the potion. Professor Snape barked at Seamus to take Neville to the infirmary after berating him for not completing the potion correctly. He then took another point from Harry for not correcting Neville on the correct way to do the potion. She wondered if Harry would actually do that, or if Professor Snape was just that biased against the Gryffindor House. She and Dean managed to finish off their potion, and it looked perfect to Hermione. They bottled it up and turned it in.

Hermione made her way back to the Gryffindor Tower to prepare for Herbology. She was looking forward to the weekend - Professor McGonagall had assigned some very interesting homework that she was very excited to try out. She also had plans to look forward to the next week's assignments and study for her classes. She was so happy learning about these subjects that only felt a slight twinge of jealousy hearing about other classmate's plans for the weekend. She would try harder to make friends, she would have to. She would just have to finish her homework first. She brightened again at the thought of the work she had and cheerily continued to the common room.


	6. Chapter 6: The Flying Lesson

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Also, finals are coming up, so I'll try to update every week still, but it may be a bit late. Sorry in advance!**

Chapter 6: The Flying Lesson

The second week of school, a notice was put up in the common room of Gryffindor - flying lessons would be starting that coming Friday. Hermione groaned - this is what she had been worrying about. She had never been particularly athletic or coordinated, and now she was expected to keep balance and fly on a skinny broomstick? This was going to be impossible. Gryffindor first-years would be learning alongside the Slytherin first-years. She silently wished that the two groups would be able to move past their differences for this one afternoon of flying lessons, but she highly doubted that it would be possible.

For the rest of the week, anyone who needed her could find Hermione curled up in a chair in front of the fire, reading _Quidditch Through the Ages_. The first chapter, "The Evolution of the Flying Broomstick" was perhaps more helpful than learning about the rules and regulations of the game of Quidditch; however, Hermione did learn about the different tactics of flying, such as a Chelmondiston Charge, where a Chaser stands on the broomstick and leaps, and a Wronski Feint where the Seeker, from high above, dives down sharply and pulls up at the last second in hopes that the opposing Seeker will follow suit and crash into the ground. Hermione shook her head; Quidditch was quite the barbaric sport.

Thursday morning, Hermione sat with Neville and the other first years. She was telling Neville all of the different techniques that she had learned from _Quidditch Through the Ages_, as he had never been on a broomstick either. They were sitting near Harry, and she hoped that he could also hear her tips because she was sure that he had never been on a broomstick either. They were discussing how the different types of wood caused the brooms to be quicker and easier to maneuver when the mail arrived. When the mail arrived at Hogwarts, it was like the sky had opened and had spewed forth hundreds of owls. There were owls carrying letters, owls carrying packages, owls carrying papers, and owls just swooping in for a snack before going back to the Owlery. Hermione received a letter back from her parents - she would have to remember to read it after classes and the flying lessons - and Neville also received a package. He pulled out a letter from his Grandmother which he quickly put in his pocket, and the package contained a small glass ball that seemed to contain a smokey substance. Hermione's suspicions of the object were confirmed when Neville exclaimed-

"It's a Remembrall! Gran knows I forget things - this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red…oh…you've forgotten something." Whenever Neville had grasped his Remembrall, it had begun to glow a deep scarlet colour. Hermione began to give him suggestions on what he may have forgotten-

"We have Potions homework due tomorrow, did you do that? What about reading for Herbology? Have you forgotten anything about our flying lesson later today? Were you supposed to write your Grandmother a letter? How about-"

At that moment, Draco passed by the Gryffindor table and snatched the Remembrall from Neville's hands. Neville squeaked in surprise as Ron and Harry leapt to their feet. It seemed that they already had problems with Draco and were just about to fight when Professor McGonagall appeared.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

Neville replied, shakily, "Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor."

Draco scowled at the lot of them and tossed the Remembrall onto the Gryffindor table. "Just looking," he said as he swaggered away, with those two large boys from the train following close behind.

Hermione looked at Neville, "Are you okay?"

Neville was quiet for a moment before he looked up and cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm alright. Now, what were you telling me about oak versus maple wood used in broomsticks?"

At 3:30, Hermione walked with the rest of the first-years to the front grounds of Hogwarts for the flying lesson. It was clear, not a cloud in the sky, and the grass rippled beneath their feet from the slight breeze. Hermione supposed if they had to learn to fly on broomsticks, she couldn't hope for better weather to try it out. As she got closer, Hermione saw that the Slytherin first-years were already on the lawn and that there were brooms lying in two straight rows. They looked a bit old and beat up, but Hermione supposed that as long as she could get up, she would be fine. It wasn't as though they were trying out for a professions Quidditch team, such as the Chuddley Cannons or Holyhead Harpies. While they were standing in their two separate groups, Madame Hooch, the flying instructor, arrived.

"Well, what are you all waiting for? Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up!" she ordered them. Hermione quickly chose a broom to stand next to; on one side of her was Neville, on the other was Ron.

"Stick out your right hand over the broom, and say 'Up!'" Madam Hooch yelled from where she was standing near the front of the brooms.

Hermione cleared her throat and tried to calm her nerves. She took a deep breath and then said, "U-Up!" Her broom simply rolled over as though it was a dog doing a trick. She glanced around; luckily, not many had managed to summon their brooms to their hands. Only Harry, Draco, and a few others were now holding their broomsticks. Neville's was laying completely stationary and Ron's had jumped a few inches in the air but had fallen back down. Hermione took another calming breath and said more clearly, "Up!" This time, she managed to snatch her broom out of the air before it began to fall back to the ground.

"Alright, now to mount your brooms, throw your right leg over the shaft and straddle it as you would a horse or a hippogriff. Place both hands toward the top of the handle, with your left in front of your right - Mr. Malfoy! Did you hear me? Correct your grip; you're more likely to fall if you're holding on that way. Now, any questions?"

As Hermione mounted her broom, she wondered what a hippogriff was, but assumed that Madam Hooch did not expect a question like that. Hermione glanced at the rest of her classmates; many looked very sure of themselves, but Neville looked completely terrified.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - three - two -" Hermione took a deep breath and readied herself to kick off the ground, but was startled by a sharp cry beside her. She looked to her left, but Neville was gone! She looked up and saw him barreling through the sky…15 feet…25 feet, how high would he go? She could make out the look of horror on his chalk-white face while Madam Hooch yelled at him, "Come back, boy!" Neville looked down and gasped and slid off his broom.

THUD! Hermione watched as Neville crashed into a heap on the ground and heard a nasty crack in what she could only assume was one of his appendages. Madam Hooch rushed over to him as the rest of the Gryffindor first years crowded behind her.

"Broken wrist… Alright, come on boy. It's alright, up you get", Madam Hooch soothed a sniffling Neville and helped him to his feet. She then turned to the rest of the first years surrounding her - "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'!" She then turned to Neville and put an arm around him and started to lead him to the castle, "Come on, dear."

Hermione began to wonder if maybe she should go with them - after all, Neville was practically her only friend at Hogwarts so far. She wondered if Madam Hooch was going to come back or if someone else would be completing their lesson when she heard a boy start to laugh.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?" Hermione's blood began to boil. Draco Malfoy continued to laugh at Neville, who wasn't even here to defend himself. Hermione opened her mouth to reprimand him, but was beaten by Parvati, "Shut up, Malfoy" she spat.

Hermione was surprised - she had never even seen Parvati and Neville speak to each other. Perhaps this Gryffindor loyalty expanded to everyone in the House and not just to friends. A mean, pug-nosed Slytherin named Pansy replied to Parvati, "Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom? Never thought you'd like fat little cry-babies, Parvati." Just as Parvati was starting to close in on the Slytherin girl, Draco rushed forward - was he going to stop the fight? Of course not; he snatched something out of the grass and exclaimed, "Look! It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him." Draco held the Remembrall up and it glittered in the sunlight.

"Give that here, Malfoy." Everyone fell silent. Harry had spoken very quietly, just a bit louder than a whisper, but all eyes were locked on him. Draco didn't give him the Remembrall, instead, he just smiled nastily and said, "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find - how about - up a tree?"

"Give it here!" Harry yelled, but it was too late. Draco was already soaring above their heads on the school broom. Hermione had to admit, he knew what he was doing. He floated lazily near the top of an oak tree and called back, "Come and get it, Potter!"

Harry grabbed his broom. Hermione had to stop him - "No Harry! Madam Hooch told us not to move - you'll get us all into trouble." Perhaps this was not the best way to convince him to stay on the ground because he simply shoved past her and pushed off the ground. For someone who had never flown before, he certainly was a natural. Hermione gasped as he jerked his broom even higher and sent Ron a glare while he cheered Harry on. As he began to slow near Draco, Hermione could see them talking. Draco did not look as confident as he had a minute before. She glanced to her right and saw his two large friends staring stupidly into the sunlight. They must not be very good at flying if they weren't joining him immediately. She suddenly heard Draco yell, "Catch it if you can, then!" Hermione watched as he threw the small ball into the air and then he began to fly back to the ground. She watched as Harry located the Remembrall and began to streak towards the earth to catch it - he was going to crash! Less than a foot from the ground he snatched the small ball and pulled up to avoid crashing. As he tumbled onto the ground, Hermione stood back as the Gryffindor first years began to rush towards him and the Slytherins stood back with scowls. How had he done that? Her thoughts were interrupted by a piercing yell -

"HARRY POTTER!" Professor McGonagall was almost sprinting towards the group of first years. She watched as Harry got to his feet. "Never - in all my time at Hogwarts - how dare you? You could have broken your neck!" Her eyes blazed with fury and she seemed almost speechless. Parvati and Ron attempted to come to his aid, but Professor McGonagall would hear none of it. "Potter, follow me. Now."

Draco and the rest of the Slytherin first years began to laugh triumphantly when Harry and Professor McGonagall were out of sight.

"Ha! He's sure to get kicked out. Serves him right, trying to interfere-"

"Shut up Malfoy! There's no way they'll expel him for that. And besides, we can just tell Dumbledore how you tried to steal Neville's Remembrall and then-"

"Watch your mouth, Weasley! You do not want to mess with me-"

Hermione sighed as she listened to the ensuing fight. As much as she wanted to stand up for Harry and for him saving Neville's Remembrall, he had also broken the rules. She quietly glanced around the group of first-years and looked at her watch - 4:30. She packed up her things and began walking towards the castle - no one noticed the girl with the brown, bushy hair walking alone.


End file.
